Stabilized nitrated starch.



. substitution product of toluidin, I intend to UNITED STATES FLETCHER B. notnEs, 0F \N'OODBURYQNEW NEMOURS POWDER. COMPANY, JERSEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

STAB ILiZEi) NITRATED srranon.

Patented Jan. 7, 1908.

Application filed May 20. 1907- Seria". No. 374 ,533-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FLETCHER B. HOLMES,

a citizen of the United. States, residing at Woodbury, county of Gloucester, and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and usei ful Improvement in Stabilized N itra ted- Starch, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. The object of my invention is to produce stable nitratcd starch;

Nitrated starch may be used as an explo; sive itself, or preferably may be usedas a component part of an explosive, such as Where it is mixed with sodium nitrate, po tassium nitrate, or some qthenoxygen carrier, with or without the addition of other. iHgI'Ddlt-ill'd. The dii'liculty with nitrated starch is that it is very unstable,'being lia- 1 ble t.) decomposition. When such nitrated starch decomposes, which it is liable to do at ordinary temperatures, it becomes liable to spontaneous combustion. :l have discovered that i can produce a' stable nitrated starch by mixing with niira'ted starch a substitution productof toluidin, which includes the nitrotoluidins, the chlor-toluidins )H H (CDNII etc., and the l.rom'-'toluidins, CH ,H (Br)NH,, where one or more hydrogen atoms in the toluidin ring are r placed by univalent elements or radicals. The salts of the above can also be used and when T use theterm a inchidcthe salts of'thcse products of toluidin ()l" these reagents i prefer to use ahltIO- toluidin. In practice the reagent is mixed dinary'and Well known manner. The mixing may be made in any manner to produce a good mixture. They maybe mixed Wet or dry and in any kind of a mixer. Preferably I mix the two, in a finely condition, in a'bowl provided with stirrers or paddlesand in an amount preferably from two to five per cent, although larger and smaller amounts can be used with success. I have foundthree per cent. to give good results. I

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A stable explosive consisting of a mixture of nitrated starch and a substitution product of toluidin, the latter being in such proportion as to stabilize the nitrated starch.

2. A stable explosive consisting of a mixture of nitrated starch and from two to five per cent. of a substitution product of toluidin.

3."A stable explosive consisting of a mixture of nitrated starch and nitrotoluidin, the latter being in such proportion as to stabilize the nitrated starch.

4. A'stable explosive consisting of a mixture of nitrated starch and from two to five per cent. of nitrotoluidin.

In testimony of which invention, I have hereunto set my hand, at Philadelphia, on this 15th day of May, 1907.

" FLETCHER 1 3. HOLMES.

Witnesses M. M. HAMILTON th the nitrated starch produced in the or- E. E. WALL.

divided powdered" JERSEY, 'AS SIGNOR 'IO THE I. DLE IONT DE OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORPORATION OF NEW 

